Lessons from Startalk co-hosts

(Second of two parts)

Startalk is airing its 12th anniversary celebration live this afternoon at 2:30 on GMA 7. Before Startalk goes on the air, however, sister show Eat, Bulaga!, which earned a whooping 28 percent rating last Saturday (with its Bebot contest where certified showbiz machos competed in drag), promises to deliver another blockbuster edition involving their hosts, who will go out of this world (more like out of this universe — just looking at their preparations) to entertain viewers. Eat, Bulaga! this afternoon will also be made special because the show is giving a farewell party to Cindy Kurleto, who is quitting local showbiz to live in Peru.

But back to the Startalk anniversary celebration: Lined up this afternoon are special interviews that include Katrina Halili, Vandolph and would-be bride Jenny Solimao, who will talk about their wedding preparations, Tina Paner (straight from Barcelona — very interesting especially now that mother Daisy Romualdez and Danita are in the news) and Ara Mina and Manny Pacquiao.

On Startalk today, host Lorna Tolentino will also face the boys. No, I don’t mean Daboy because she faces him every day. The boys here are the foursome gang of Rudy Fernandez, Phillip Salvador and Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla. These days, given their individual activities, it’s so difficult to bring them together, especially for a sit-down interview.

Startalk will also reveal this afternoon the name of a famous celebrity who is expecting and will have a baby by next year. No, she’s not just some starlet. In fact, she’s showbiz royalty. Find out later who she is.

With regard to the rest of the features on Startalk, I cannot put everything here because we are afraid of what is known in TV as pre-emption.

But surely, you will have fun with the Sobrang OJ portion with Ogie Alcasid and Janno Gibbs who are coming over to the Startalk set live to roast — through songs — some of our local celebrities.

The other day, in line with the Startalk anniversary show, I decided to write about my co-hosts and revealed what I learned from them. I’m done with Joey de Leon and Lorna Tolentino. Now, here are Lolit Solis and Alyssa Alano.

Lolit Solis — Lolit and I come from different backgrounds. While I was not exactly raised on the lap of luxury (we were just comfortable), it would be an exaggeration for me to say that I’ve known the kind of poverty she went through in life (a fact she never denied — in fact, very proud of).

Since she had known hunger, Lolit is very considerate of the little people around us — the errand boys, the crew and maintenance staff. It’s not that I am rude to them (except for one studio hanger-on I could never stand). As a matter of fact, I am always very courteous and polite and would always say thank you in all my dealings with them. But for a long time, they were just part of the landscape to me. It was from Lolit that I learned how to be with them — be one with them — and how to give them the importance they deserve. Apparently, each one has a contribution to the show — no matter how little or how low the position of the person is in the production ladder.

Basic pakikisama — that was one of the many things Lolit taught me on Startalk. With that, I also learned from her how to be a team player and when I started to be one, life has become so much easier for me on the set and in the show as a whole.

Sharing — that was something she also taught me. Not that I didn’t know how to share before. But with Lolit, everything has to be shared and divided equally (could she be a communist?). She apparently got that trait growing up as the eldest with so many siblings who have to divide among themselves whatever little food they had on the table.

I always love to say this about Lolit: She is like a female Robin Hood in the sense that she robs the rich to give to the poor. Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby may not agree with me, but Lolit actually has positive traits. I could only hope they’d all get to know each other better and get to imbibe the best traits of one another.

Alyssa Alano — Despite a painful childhood (having been separated from her parents), Alyssa didn’t turn out so badly — especially now that she is under the care and guidance of her manager, Annie Ayroso, who is the epitome of kindness.

The one thing I learned from Alyssa is never to be afraid to ask about anything. Now in her early twenties, Alyssa still has a lot to learn about life. But if there’s something she doesn’t know about or understand, she asks — without getting embarrassed.

We can’t pretend to know everything even at our later stage in life. If you ask, you have nothing to lose. You gain knowledge, in fact. Thank you, Alyssa, for reminding me that.

Yes, you can learn even from a child. And in the deepest recesses of her heart, there will always be a child in Alyssa. I hope she never loses that.